Why I Decided to Hire a Writer

I'm sorry that I haven't posted any videos lately, but rest assured art is coming along more quickly now.  I am reluctant to post pictures because even though this is my first commercial game, I'm still working within a limited art budget and I'm scared to create a "once you've seen one, you've seen them all" impression.  The game is still expensive art-wise because I'm using 3D models -- I took that path so that I can have lots of prerendered animations in all isometric camera perspectives.  Then later I can reuse the 3D models for other purposes.  I know many people prefer pixel-art and let me assure you that I believe genuine pixelart takes a lot of painstaking talent.  On the other hand I'm just going with a general painted-approach, which like 3D models is cheaper in the long run.  But do not discount my artists since they are crafting a look I genuinely adore and which reminds me of early PlayStation era games which combined a hybrid approach to handpainting and 3D models.  If the current indie scene is dictated by those who grew up on SNES games, I'm among the few venturing into the next generation  (those who grew up on PS1/N64 games).  And with High Definition things look better, the downside being performance is more sluggish -- a reason why Vanillaware, pioneers of 2D, has yet to release a genuine HD game.

Let me repeat:  This is just a budget game.  Please do not expect too much of it.  Amid freeware this will be an awesome game, but compared to other commercial games it will not stand a chance.  This project is a means for me to realize the majority of my ideas and influences into one cohesive whole.

Now on to the topic at hand:  If I'm not the game's writer, what am I then?  If I'm not one of the artists?  I'm still the creator, the producer and director.  The game's writer will be none other than the great Taleweaver -- he recently ventured writing for a commercial game, Zenith Chronicles, so I thought why not bring him on board here as well since I liked his flexibility in writing different subject matters and in different styles.  Compared to him I am just an OK writer... and nowadays, just being OK doesn't cut it.  If there's one thing an indie game can do to stand out from the competition that has superior manpower and budget is through writing.

Don't get me wrong, I still have an idea for a project later on which will require myself to be the writer, simply because I'm the only expert in the subject matter.  But for Elspeth's Garden, which come to think of it is the most mainstream game I've been working on, I'd rather rely on whatever talent I can find.